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Jim Harbaugh Almost Killed John: Uncovering Shocking Incident Involving the Legendary NFL Duo

Published 02/27/2024, 7:42 AM EST

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The classic ol’ tussle between Jim Harbaugh and his brother John Harbaugh goes way back than you think! Of course, the sibling rivalry between the two commenced the day they became brothers. However, the real ‘professional’ rivalry commenced on the day when one defeated the other in the ultimate showdown: The Super Bowl. On February 3, 2013, John Harbaugh was proud to go home with his shiny new Lombardi trophy as the Baltimore Ravens head coach. After all, he had defeated the San Francisco 49ers, a team head coached by Jim Harbaugh by 3 cutthroat points.

The antagonism between them is believed to have been brewing since then. It’s not. The discord actually dates back to before the Ravens v 49ers, even before either of them stepped foot into the world of head coaching.

The deadly incident in Jim Harbaugh v John Harbaugh saga

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It was in the 1987 NFL Draft that the Chicago Bears picked Jim Harbaugh as the 26th overall. The news was a joyous one for the Harbaugh family, accounting for a vacation on a beach vacation. However, it turned into a fight for life for Jim Harbaugh’s brother. Per a resurfaced interview by John Harbaugh, Jim reportedly ‘ threw a hard leg kick his older brother’s way, ticking off an all-out brawl’.

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“He throws a single leg into my right leg as hard as he can. So I sprawl, full sprawl, cross face right to his nose as hard as I can. Just smash him right in the face,” John vividly recalled. Jim grew ferocious, tackling his brother and pushing him down into the water. “I see the sand come up around. It’s dark saltwater and all the air bubbles came out and then he kind of keeps holding me down there. The waves are coming. Holds me down, holds me down, holds me down. I’m thinking, ‘This is going to be it’. He snapped, you know he’s gone, I’ve lost him,” recalled a Petrified John Harbaugh. Well, following the day, the strings of fate played out to be in favor of John Harbaugh, almost as revenge.

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Fate against Jim Harbaugh?

The impending records were settled on the 3rd of February, 2013, when the Ravens defeated the Niners with a close 34-31, even when the clock did not seem on their side, landing the 49ers their first-ever loss in Super Bowl history. Reportedly, there was a blackout at the Mercedez-Benz dome in the third quarter that day.

READ ALSO: Jim Harbaugh Faces $58M Conundrum Over Reunion With Former Michigan Star

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ABC’s Dan Shaffer reported then, “The clock stop for action on the field at the Super Bowl was eclipsed by the super blackout during the third quarter of last night’s game.” The reason being “abnormality in the power system triggered an automatic shutdown.” So, when the halftime bell kicked off the second half, Jacoby Jones fielded the kick and returned the whopping 108 yards to set a record for the longest play in Super Bowl history. Still, Baltimore had a gripping dominance with their 28-6 lead over the Niners. It was after the monumental move that the lights went out in half of that stadium, ceasing the clash for about 34 minutes.

The equipment failure turned out to be in Jim Harbaugh’s favor, as the Ravens’ dominance was trimmed down to 28-23. Speculations of the blackout being a plotted move set the media ablast. Even Shaffer condemned it, saying, ” I didn’t buy that at all.” Yet, it was John Harbaugh who lifted the Lombardi trophy in the end. So, was it a plotted move by someone or the way of nature against Jim Harbaugh? What do you think?

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Written by:

Pankti Parmar

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Pankti Parmar is an NFL news writer at EssentiallySports. She combines her educational background in psychology with a passion for sports to delve into the minds of athletes and their game strategies. She's our resident expert on Jim Harbaugh and played a pivotal role in our play-by-play coverage of Harbaugh's journey from the Wolverines to the Chargers.
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Edited by:

Tripti Sarda